BHOPAL: The family of Raja Raghuvanshi, the young Indore-based transporter who was murdered during his honeymoon in Meghalaya on 23 May, is preparing to move the Meghalaya High Court to demand Narco Analysis Tests for Raja’s wife Sonam Raghuvanshi and co-accused Raj Kushwah.
Raja’s elder brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, confirmed on Monday that the family has already consulted advocates in Meghalaya and will soon file a petition. “We believe the exact motive behind my brother’s killing is still unclear. Sonam and Raj have given conflicting statements during police interrogation, seemingly to mislead investigators and shield one another,” Vipin said.
The family will also request a court-monitored probe into the alleged business dealings between Sonam and Raj, which came to light through Sonam’s brother, Govind. “Govind recently told us that Sonam and Raj had started a firm—originally intended to be his venture early this year. They allegedly operated it through a bank account in the name of Raj’s mother, Chunni Devi, with transactions of around ₹7.5–8 lakh,” Vipin added.
Owner of Indore flat detained
In a fresh development, Lokendra Singh Tomar, the owner of the Indore flat where Sonam hid for nine days after the murder, has been detained by police in Gwalior for questioning. Meghalaya Police are en route to question Tomar, according to Gwalior Range DIG Amit Sanghi.
This comes a day after the Meghalaya Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) made two more arrests in Madhya Pradesh. Building contractor-cum-property broker Shilom James and private security guard Balveer Ahirwar were arrested from Indore and Ashok Nagar, respectively. They allegedly assisted Sonam during her time in hiding from 30 May to 7 June.
James had arranged the flat where Sonam stayed, while Ahirwar reportedly helped in destroying a black bag she left behind after fleeing Indore on 8 June. She later resurfaced in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on 9 June.
The bag believed to have contained a laptop, cash, jewellery, and a pistol was reportedly handed over by Ahirwar to James, who then burnt it behind his house. Meghalaya Police plan to conduct a forensic analysis of the remains to determine the contents of the bag.
Preliminary questioning of James and Ahirwar suggests that Tomar may also have been involved in the destruction of evidence. He had been missing since their arrests but was later tracked down by Gwalior police.
So far, seven people have been arrested in connection with the high-profile case: Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwah, three hired men allegedly involved in Raja’s murder, Shilom James, and Balveer Ahirwar.
